As if Cincinnati Bengal fans haven’t suffered enough this season thanks to their winless team, apparently they’re getting physically abused in the stands, too.
A 48-year-old Miamisburg man says he was punched in the side of his face after trading barbs with Steelers fans sitting behind him in the north end zone Sunday. The force of the blow knocked Randy Reed down the concrete stairs. He woke up bloodied in the security office. Reed broke his wrist and suffered from cuts and bruises on his face and nose.
The attack highlights a growing problem in the NFL – safety. It was a hot topic before the season started. In August, the Bengals addressed the issue by expanding their 2-year-old fan conduct policy to include behavior outside of the stadium. The team created the 381-JERK line in 2006, a number fans can call or text to report bad behavior.
The Bengals are standing behind Reed. Director of Business Development, Bob Bedinghaus, says the team will do everything they can to find out who hit him. They even offered him tickets to a future game, but Reed turned them down, saying he would never take his wife or daughter back. Bedinghaus says he would “absolutely consider” Paul Brown a safe place to watch football.
I wouldn’t take free tickets to see the Bengals either.
